Watch Brazilian Carnival Video

The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held between the Friday afternoon and Ash Wednesday at noon, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat... Show More

The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held between the Friday afternoon and Ash Wednesday at noon, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove meat." Carnival has roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Catholicism became a farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to practice repentance and prepare for Christ's death and resurrection. Rhythm, participation, and costumes vary from one region of Brazil to another. In the southeastern cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Vitória, huge organized parades are led by samba schools. Those official parades are meant to be watched by the public, while minor parades allowing public participation can be found in other cities. The northeastern cities of Recife, Olinda, Salvador and Porto Seguro have organized groups parading through streets, and public interacts directly with them. This carnival is also influenced by African-Brazilian culture. Show Less

Império Serrano has selected 3 Divas ( Musas) for their 2013 Carnvival Parade.
The "crowning" ceremony that took place at Imperio Serrano HQ, called Quadra in Portuguese, and located at Madureira. The samba-school is the second oldest samba-school in Brazil.
The amazing samba skills of Nilce Mel, from Imperio Serrano. She is from the community and honors the colors of the school, which are green and white.